Servant Leadership Essay

Total Length: 579 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 2

Page 1 of 2

Servant Leadership

At the center of servant leadership is a leader's ability to transform a team, department or entire organization by concentrating on their specific needs for direction, individualized coaching, development and recognition. A highly effective servant leader will also have a correspondingly high level of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and exhibit the traits of transformational leadership (Washington, Sutton, Feild, 2006). A highly effective servant leader will often create unique development and training programs that align with the strengths and weaknesses of a given subordinate as well.

Servant leaders also excel at creating team-based cultures that seek to provide their subordinates with an opportunity to gain autonomy, mastery and purpose over their work. These three factors are critical to long-term motivation for learning (Leavy, 2012). Highly effective servant leaders realize that by showing trust, they become trusted. By concentrating on the three foundational elements of long-term motivation, a servant leader sets a foundation for continual improvement and job ownership on the part of subordinates.
Creating a culture of achievement engenders greater levels of trust both within an organization across department and within teams. The higher the level of trust and transparency, nurtured by a servant leader, the higher the level of innovation as well (Oliveira, Ferreira, 2012). A transformational leader has the ability to create a very innovative, forward-thinking organization by being the catalyst of trust throughout their teams and with others. One of the most effective strategies for gaining trust is to also be willing to self-sacrifice for an objective. Individual leaders vary in their level and depth of self-sacrifice, yet the highest performing servant leaders regularly show they believe in and continually pursue the broader vision of their department or organization through their actions and words (Washington, Sutton,….....

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


Related Essays

Servant Leadership Style and Leadership Philosophy

one philosophy that particularly resonates with the author’s leadership philosophy is servant leadership. Servant leadership is about serving others and prioritising the needs of others. As demonstrated in this paper, servant leadership is a leadership philosophy that is applicable at the workplace as well as in one’s personal life. Servant leadership is crucial for building strong relationships, trust, respect, and collaboration between the leader and their followers. In spite of some shortcomings, servant leadership – if effectively applied – can result in more fulfilling workplaces and personal lives. Introduction Whereas there is no universally agreed definition, leadership essentially means the process… Continue Reading...

President Thomas Jefferson and Servant Leadership

Introduction Servant leadership is a theory that was proposed by Robert Greenleaf. In this particular leadership model, the leader serves others with no thought for his or her own self-interest. In other words, the fundamental motivation of the leader in this leadership model is to serve first. The different characteristics that portray servant leadership include encouraging participation, improving the self-worth of others, valuing other individuals, facilitating the release of others’ creativity, inspiring commitment and loyalty and sharing power (Spears, 2010). In accordance to Northouse (2018), 10 characteristics that are pivotal to… Continue Reading...

Followership in the Army Servant Leadership

leaders and their followers are two sides of the same coin, as both followership and servant leadership require a dedication to shared values and goals. II. Topic 1 sentence: Unlike the concept of followership, servant leadership is ultimately about making strong decisions with vision and foresight. Subtopic 1: Within the framework of servant leadership, followers offer input and feedback but are not responsible for making important decisions. Subtopic 2: Servant leaders are entrusted with the power of foresight, but do rely on followers for ideas and alternative points of view. Subtopic 3: While some followers may have valuable insight, followership does not require the cultivation… Continue Reading...

Team Building Through Servant Leadership Philosophy Essay

Essay Prompt: Read two journal articles relating to Team Building through Servant Leadership philosophy. Submit a written analysis (one to two pages) for each article, and attach a copy of the article. Neill, M., Hayward, K., & Peterson, T. (2007). Students' Perceptions of the Interprofessional Team in Practice Through The Application of Servant Leadership Principles. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 21(4), 425-432 Neill, Hayward, and Peterson (2007) investigated the perceptions students have concerning interprofessional teams in practice using the principles of servant leadership. The sample that was studied was students from different professions within the health sector, subjected to a similar framework.… Continue Reading...

Leadership Styles in My Community

with ravioli for $10 a pot) and giving the proceeds to the local homeless shelter. I utilized my servant leadership skills to help move this idea into action by leading others through giving them whatever assistance they needed. I surrounded myself with like-minded individuals from the parish -- about half of dozen (to help organize) and asked them what they needed to make this idea a reality; through these discussions I was able to supply these helpers with the tools and time they needed to make this change in our parish and turn this event into an annual fund drive to benefit the homeless in the community. We… Continue Reading...

Leadership in the Army

the Army, followership is actually of the upmost importance. Servant leadership is a concept akin to followership, highlighting the relationship between leaders and their followers, and how both are integral to promoting the mission and values of the organization. As Buckner (2014) points out, the Army does not depend on only cultivating a servant leadership approach and certainly does not align itself with models like transformational leadership, which could potentially undermine chain of command. However, the Army always needs situational leaders: those who have a high degree of situational awareness and the ability to respond to change with decisive… Continue Reading...

Leadership Essay (Free Example)

of leadership in organizations seeking to achieve specific aims. Leadership styles, such as servant leadership and transformational leadership, are analyzed and qualities such as boldness, good judgment and emotional intelligence are examined to show how they support effective leadership. The paper concludes with a discussion of what leadership means to different people and how leadership styles can reflect an individuals own subjective take on leadership and how it should be demonstrated. [toc] Topics What is leadership? How can leadership qualities be promoted? How does a bad leadership experience impact a workplace culture? Real-life leaders in the 20th century Titles Influential Leaders in Modern… Continue Reading...

What is a Good Leadership Style

styles are diverse in the military and can include everything from the autocratic style to the servant leadership style. The key to employing best practices in military leadership, however, is to understand the needs of the situation, the needs of the stakeholders, and the needs of the moment so that the right strategy is employed for the goal to be achieved.[endnoteRef:2] This paper will discuss leadership best practices, particularly how sharing leadership best practices can help individual, group, corporation and military success. [2: For this reason, Stogdill asserts that contingency theory is the best way to explain how leaders should perform.] Leadership Definition Leadership has been… Continue Reading...

Personal Philosophy of Educational Leadership

so that they can eventually work independently at a level of self-actualization. Servant leadership is a method of leadership that can best be applied in educational leadership as it places the needs of stakeholders above one’s own. The servant leader recognizes what individuals need to overcome challenges and assists them through encouragement and guidance. The servant leader is selfless and devoted to others—and that is what true leadership, ultimately, is all about. Introduction Leadership is like the star that shines brightly in the sky, pointing out the way for those traversing in the dark, giving light where it is needed, and giving… Continue Reading...

How a Personal Leadership Philosophy Works

specifically, to face and overcome future challenges. My leadership philosophy is grounded in the principles of servant leadership, which supports my leader identity as someone who values the overarching goals and mission of the organization. The philosophy of leadership comprises the important elements of vision, values, and strategy. Values inform vision, and vision informs strategic planning. Vision is about “standards of excellence, purpose and direction,” (Leboeuf 1999, 1). Leadership is central to the mission command philosophy, as outlined in the ADRP 6-0. The principles of mission command require a combination of visionary skills with the pragmatic ability to command, manage, and control. Effective military leadership is… Continue Reading...

The Leadership of Martin Luther King

servant leadership style—i.e., in putting the needs of others before his own. He risks imprisonment that others might have a voice. He suffers abuse and criticism that his people might better their own lives. He serves their needs, not his own self-interest. He is also charismatic in his leadership, and draws upon all the tools of rhetoric to enhance his message—ethos, pathos and logos. He uses his charisma to generate… Continue Reading...

Army Leadership Issues

like the army. I had the pleasure once of training under a senior officer who worked within the servant leadership framework. The servant leadership framework, which is typically contextualized under the rubric of spiritual leadership theory, resituates the role of the leader vis-a-vis the organization (Fry, Vitucci & Cedillo, 2005). Increasingly taking root within the ranks of Army leaders, servant leadership and spiritual leadership theory promotes a value-based ethical commitment that comprises everything from soldier motivation to engagement and productivity (Fry, Vitucci & Cedillo, 2005). Although the terminology used in servant leadership literature and theory seem sometimes to conflict with the tenor of the organization, the impetus for… Continue Reading...

Good and Bad Experiences with Leadership Essay

the students. To me, they possess leadership qualities like Emotional Intelligence and Social Intelligence. They also sometimes show servant leadership skills, which I like because it makes me think they really care about helping me to achieve my goals. When the teachers act like they are the best and know everything and that we students are unintelligent because we do not have degrees, I feel like the teacher is trying to compensate for some absence inside and that the teacher is not really being a good leader. Bad leaders bring negative energy to an environment and they can pull down morale (Schyns, Schilling, 2013)and that is what happened… Continue Reading...

Good Management and Leadership Skills

has as his core leadership value the style of servant leadership (De Vries, 1998). He consistently puts people first and recognizes what they need and how he can best help. That is the type of manager I would like to be. I would not want to distance myself from my workers nor hover over them to the point that they are distressed every time I come around. I would want them to know that I am there to support them so that they… Continue Reading...

Diversity and Cultural Assessment

decision-making and its influences on leadership models. Additionally, the paper will explore certain commonly accepted leadership traits and how servant leadership may be used as an effective tool for influencing organizational culture. Followers see an inspirational leader as more beneficial than a transactional leader across any cultural setting. However certain behaviors leaders may perform within one context may be motivating to the team (Indonesia), but in another may come across as bragging (Japan). Awareness of cultural differences is essential in producing the kind of effectual leadership needed across multiple cultures to build an effectual international leadership pipeline. Cultural style can dictate ethically, a leader's use of authority, influence and… Continue Reading...

21st Century Skills and Competencies

are discussed by both professionals and researchers today. These styles and theories range from servant leadership to authoritarian leadership. Yet as Higgs (2013) shows, in the 21st century, a "sense making" paradigm is needed in order for an appropriate model of leadership to be implemented that "is relevant to the context of complexity and change facing organizations in the early twenty-first century" (p.273). This sense making paradigm is actually a throw-back to what Luthans (1988) identified nearly 3 decades ago -- namely the need for management to be mentally and emotionally supportive of and available to subordinates: "successful managers . . . are not… Continue Reading...

Organizational Consulting for Development Interventions

in a position of leadership. Instead, the consultant assumes more of a servant leadership perspective in which personal views, needs, and opinions are overshadowed by the organization’s mission and vision. Conflicts could arise when the organization’s mission and vision are complicated by disparate voices and views within senior management. In cases like these, the consultant needs to identify various options and present those to leaders who then take the initiative to make changes to align practices with goals. Internal and external consultants need also to consider the business environment, competitors, and the potential to enter new markets or diversify. Depending on the… Continue Reading...

What Makes a Good Company Culture at Starbucks

least five major elements to their company culture that should be assessed and taken into account. These include servant leadership (employees first), the relationship-driven approach, collaboration and communication, openness and inclusion and diversity. When answering the question as to how the management and leadership could and should be enforcing those five ideals, pretty much all of them have directly to do with management. For example, servant leadership cannot be effected unless the leadership is clearly acting with the employees in mind first. Obviously, the employees cannot do this on their own even if they wanted to. Thus, the ladders must be involved in the creation of that paradigm… Continue Reading...

How to Manage a Non Profit Health Care Organization

primary aim. Their primary aim is to serve the needs of others—and in doing so, by engaging in servant leadership within the community, they develop a reputation for providing genuine, authentic care for people. As a result, they earn the esteem of the community, obtain benefactors and donors to assist with the maintenance of operations, and are sustained through the fees charged for providing care to patients and residents in their homes and beds. As Span (2012) points out, “for years, researchers have reported that ownership status is one of the factors related to quality care. ‘Most studies show that nonprofits do a better job of caring for… Continue Reading...

Tesla's Innovation Strategy

personal oversight into the most major challenges. This allows him to provide support, as in servant leadership style. His personal investment in the major challenges is essential to keep the team motivated – if the boss cares enough to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty, then the rest of the team can derive motivation to work harder as well (Dyer & Gregersen, 2016). So Musk supports innovation at his companies on a structural level, but also makes innovation a core part of the strategy. At the high level, everybody involved with Tesla or SpaceX understands that innovation is critical to the company's… Continue Reading...

sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Servant Leadership" (2012, August 15) Retrieved May 19, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/servant-leadership-81664

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Servant Leadership" 15 August 2012. Web.19 May. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/servant-leadership-81664>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Servant Leadership", 15 August 2012, Accessed.19 May. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/servant-leadership-81664